Funding proposed for downtown building facades, affordable housing, park improvements and police body cams

The City of Reno has to spend $28 million in federal COVID relief dollars by the end of 2026, but projects need to be finalized by the end of next year. The City Council on Wednesday is scheduled to approve a slate of wide-ranging proposals.

$1 million from the funds will be used to cover operating expenses for the expansion of the Village at Sage Street, dormitory-style housing on Sage Street.

City parks – Idlewild and Dorothy McAlinden – will get more than $3 million for improvements, and Reno Police will get body cams, Tasers and surveillance software.

The Community Health Alliance will benefit from $5 million projected to expand the healthcare nonprofit’s Neil Road facility.

CHA leases the facility from the city for $3,000 per month. Former Reno Council member Oscar Delgado in September told KTVN he wanted to see the facility expand. He resigned as a council member soon after that interview.

A city staff report said the city earns $36,000 a year on the location. That’s from the CHA lease.

City Manager Doug Thornley said the expansion is “so more patients can be served.”

Fake facades downtown 

Downtown building facades and other “placemaking” changes to downtown will get $250,000 of those federal dollars. Downtown casinos were mentioned last year as having fake facades and “dead spots” that prevent people from engaging with downtown, according to a city consultant. 

Thornley said those could change with the COVID dollars. The city, using the federal money, will match business investments “to assist in restoring, substantially beautifying, and/or enhancing the entire facade of a commercial building.”

No specific facades or other downtown design changes were identified by the city, however. 

“The idea is to create a pool of money from which we can support businesses in improving the streetscape,” Thornley said. “[It’s] not an atypical program for economic development.”

The city consultant, Gehl Studios, has not yet made final recommendations for downtown. 

Last week’s presentation from the group did not identify specific changes to downtown, only general ideas about making Virginia Street more pedestrian and bike friendly.

Other proposed funding:

• $1.3 million for affordable housing, which will expand the Sage Street complex
• $500,000 for small business lease support
• $350,000 for e-recycling
• $510,000 for ADA improvements at city hall
• $1 million for new fences at the Lear Theater
• $500,000 for wild horse fencing
• $3 million for river path improvements

The city council meets Wednesday, March 8 at 10 a.m. at Reno City Hall.

Correction: This article originally reported $1 million for Hope Springs, not Sage Street. That was incorrect. The Village on Sage Street, adjacent to Hope Springs, will get the funding.